Mike Hayes's Website
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About the Authors
Mike
Hayes was born in Liverpool, England, in April 1957.
Graduating in Business Studies and German from the University Of
Aston in Birmingham, Mike entered a career in general management. He
currently works as Head of HR for a top Scottish soccer club based
in Glasgow, where he lives with his girlfriend Mairi. Mike's musical tastes were shaped by the glam rock movement
of the Seventies. Marc Bolan was an early hero. Bolan's premature
death in 1977 left a void which was shortly to be filled by a
peerless quartet from Rockford, Illinois. A student friend had
pointed Mike in the direction of the debut British release from an
odd-looking bunch who called themselves Cheap Trick. The album was
called In Color, and Mike was very impressed. When the band
subsequently appeared on BBC television's Old Grey Whistle Test
show, their unique appearance challenged the conventional image of
more familiar contemporaries. But their talent was unquestionable.
To this day, Mike regrets missing the band's first UK dates in early
1978, but he was to make up for it the following February. Cheap
Trick braved arctic conditions to play Birmingham's celebrated
Barbarella's club. The performance was stunning, the occasion quite
unforgettable. Nielsen and company chatted amiably after the show,
willingly signing autographs and sharing their time with the small
group of avid disciples. Mike has remained a huge fan of Cheap Trick for over twenty
years. Ken
Sharp - American musician, writer and publisher Ken Sharp
lent his expertise and professionalism to the venture in early 1997,
providing significant literary and editorial input, as well as
sourcing a host of rare photographs and contributing previously
unheard interviews with the members of Cheap Trick. Graduating
with honors from Temple University with a B.A. in Communications,
Ken Sharp has authored or co-authored four books, Power Pop!, Meet
The Beatles...Again!, Overnight Sensation: The Story Of The
Raspberries, and Quite Naturally: The Small Faces. In addition, Ken
is a musician whose debut CD 1301 Highland Avenue was issued in
Japan. Since then, Ken's remained fiercely dedicated to his craft
and has kept busy writing and recording new songs, many featuring on
his debut Stateside album in 2000, Happy Accidents, which gained
excellent reviews from the press and fellow musicians alike. A
regular contributor to Goldmine and Record Collector, Ken has also
written liner notes for the likes of The Raspberries, John Waite,
Rick Springfield, The Rubinoos and The Partridge Family. Upon
hearing the Heaven Tonight album in 1978, Ken became an avid Cheap
Trick fan and has seen the band more than twenty times. Ken now resides
with his wife Terri and daughter in Encino, California. |
